California citrus growers get some relief in bulk citrus movement

Citrus growers who have groves within the two restricted areas have been given some relief in the movement of their bulk citrus.

Porterville Recorder | Dec 28, 2012

Citrus growers who have groves within the two restricted areas have been given some relief in the movement of their bulk citrus, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced Wednesday.

A conference call for growers and shippers has been set up for today and again on Friday to update growers on the latest developments since two Asian citrus psyllids were discovered in the Orange Belt in late October.

The psyllids were discovered in traps collected in late October. One was found in a trap in a grove northeast of Strathmore and the other in a grove south of Terra Bella.

The discoveries are significant because the tiny pest can carry the tree bacterial disease Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. That disease, for which there is no cure, has already caused great devastation to the citrus industry in Florida and parts of Texas. The disease does not affect the fruit, but can kill trees in less than five years.